The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the family of four set off in the early morning light. The suggestion of the whole family taking the bus to the doctor was insisted upon by the mother-in-law, who basically said, "There will be many more places where we'll need money in the future!" Lijuan disagreed. Firstly, she felt it was very wasteful to spend an hour and a half on the bus so early in the morning. Yaping's parents never had the concept that time was money and efficiency was life. Especially now, wasting precious time on the road was exhausting. Moreover, Yaping's father was already in such poor health; having to squeeze onto a bus with a bunch of migrant workers going to work in a stuffy, polluted carriage would be torture for his body. Following Yaping's instructions, Lijuan could only listen; she had no right to speak.
The family arrived at their destination, and Lijuan fell asleep standing up on the way.
Yaping queued up to register, Yaping's mother accompanied Yaping's father to find a place to sit down, and Lijuan went to find acquaintances to pull strings.
We finally managed to get an appointment with Professor Tan. Professor Tan is the head of the Department of Thoracic and Pulmonary Medicine. He has a head of gray hair, wears frameless glasses, and looks very knowledgeable, which inspires trust.
"Director Tan, these are the chest X-rays from before, and these are the medical records from before." Lijuan handed over the documents that Yaping's parents had carried all the way from afar to Director Tan.
Director Tan casually pulled out a sheet, not even bothering to clip it to the light board, just glanced at it in the light from the doorway, and said with a "hmm," "It looks a bit like that one! Here's what we'll do: have them do another checkup, a chest X-ray, a sputum cytology test, a blood test, and if that doesn't work, a thoracentesis. I need to confirm the diagnosis."
"Oh! Professor Tan! My father has already been to two hospitals, and this is the diagnosis record. Do you think... is it still necessary?"
"Hey! You really are something. I'm a doctor, and if I say it's necessary, then of course it's necessary. You're not doing it because you're afraid of spending money, right? If you're afraid of spending money, why are you here? Go home, rest, eat and drink well, and you'll be fine. I have my reasons for wanting you to do it; I'm not trying to cheat you out of a few dollars. We're a top-tier tertiary hospital here; we wouldn't cheat you out of a few dollars. I just checked, and both of these hospitals are small ones! If I'm going to treat a patient, I need to prescribe the right medicine. Using someone else's diagnosis as a basis would be irresponsible of you. What if I make a mistake and the result isn't lung cancer but tuberculosis, pneumonia, or even a benign tumor? Who would take responsibility then? Wouldn't you patients sue me? Don't you think so?" Professor Tan even tapped the table and asked the doctor opposite him.
"Yes! Doctors are much more cautious these days. They can't be kind; they have to be absolutely certain of success. Otherwise, if things get out of hand, it's not just about bonuses; they could lose their lives. There was a problem in the proctology department yesterday! They removed a patient's hemorrhoids, everything was fine, but two months later new ones grew back. The patient is blaming our hospital for not removing them. How can you explain something like that? We should have gotten rid of that rotten ass long ago, but they ended up taking it to court. The proctology department just had a meeting today and decided that from now on, for every hemorrhoid surgery, we'll take a picture of the original hemorrhoids before the surgery and another picture of the hemorrhoids without them afterward, in case of future disputes. Even if ten or eight more grow back, it won't be our problem, haha..." The doctor across from him used the patient as a joke as an example.
"Look! This is a real-life example. It's just hemorrhoids. If this person died, we wouldn't be able to work anymore. You agree, right? I'm not making this up." Dr. Tan spread his hands. "It's up to you. If you don't want to do it, then find another doctor who can use your old X-rays."
"Oh dear! Doctor, you're absolutely right! It's a life at stake! We can't be careless! We have to redo it, we have to redo it. Don't listen to her, she doesn't understand medicine. Actually, none of us know anything about medicine, we're all relying on you." Yaping bowed and scraped, pulling Lijuan aside. "Whenever you say, we'll do it!"
Lijuan stormed out of the hospital first, ignoring Yaping and his parents behind her.
Nighttime, in the bedroom.
“Li Yaping! I’m not going to care about your family’s future! He’s obviously ripping you off, and you’re still sticking your neck out! The first two hospitals gave the same diagnosis, now it’s just a matter of how to treat him, why should he make you spend money again? I’m not worried about those few hundred yuan, I’m worried about your dad! His body is already like that, and he still needs blood tests and chest punctures, even a normal person can’t take that, can he? If he doesn’t get treatment, he’ll die slower! If he gets treatment, he’ll die faster!”
"What are you yelling about! Be careful my parents hear you!" Yaping scolded in a low voice. "Do you think I don't care about my dad? People's lives are in the doctors' hands these days. Neither you nor I know anything about medicine, so aren't we just at their mercy? I'd rather spend a few hundred or a thousand more than risk dying and not being able to get any justice. Why are you arguing with the doctor over a few hundred dollars? Doctors are the boss these days. So many people are begging for money and still can't get it. Haven't you seen he only gets 30 appointments a day? If you don't ask around for a slip of paper, how do you expect to get an appointment?"
"Yaping! I don't think this doctor is reliable. He looks like a professor, but he talks like a slick scoundrel. Professors in my mind are all dignified and composed, so this one makes me uneasy. Maybe we should try another hospital?"
"Nonsense. We finally managed to find a top doctor through connections, and you're already criticizing him before he's even shown his skills. He's a big shot! He's at the top of the pyramid, so naturally he can talk tough. Don't worry about him. Go to sleep!"
"The test results are in, confirming it's lung cancer." Dr. Tan showed everyone the pathology report one by one. "Isn't that obvious!" Lijuan thought bitterly, looking at Dr. Tan's face, which showed no remorse and seemed to take it for granted.
"Now we'll ask for your family's opinion on how to treat this," Dr. Tan said, spreading his hands.
"Doctor, is this illness treatable?" Yaping asked the doctor. Today, to pick up the report, Yaping's parents were specifically asked to stay at home.
"Lung cancer, well, once it's discovered, it's usually already in its late stages. The patient's survival time is only between one and five years! So the hospital's attitude towards treatment completely depends on the family. With proper treatment, it's obviously possible to prolong or even save the patient's life; there are cases of late-stage lung cancer patients surviving for five years. There's even a TV program about cancer survivors these days, right? If your family has a good financial foundation, we can develop a special treatment plan specifically to combat this disease. With the patient's cooperation, good nutrition, and an optimistic attitude, there's still a good chance. Of course, some families have financial difficulties and adopt conservative treatment, using delaying tactics, basically just a way to keep them alive one day at a time. Give the elderly more good food, let them go wherever they want, and keep them happy. Whether they take medication or not, the effect is about the same. What do you think?" Dr. Tan pushed all the materials towards Yaping.
"Doctor, you must treat my father at all costs. Don't worry, we'll take care of the money ourselves," Yaping said firmly.
"Alright, you should prepare for hospitalization now and try to start the first phase of treatment next week. Before hospitalization, you need to prepay the cost of the first course of treatment, which is about 30,000 yuan."
As soon as they left the ward, Lijuan asked Yaping, "At all costs? What do you mean? Sell everything we own? Didn't you hear the doctor say that even with the best treatment, we only have five years to live? Even if we survive five years, are we just supposed to give up on life?"
“Lijuan! Are you even speaking human language? He’s my dad! The father who raised me! I can tell the doctor, ‘Don’t worry about him, let him die in the street!’ But he’s your father, can you say he doesn’t need treatment? You have to put yourself in his shoes. Didn’t the doctor say that some people can live for more than five years? Besides, even if he doesn’t live for five years, what about four? Three and a half? Technology is advancing rapidly. In the past, who treated cancer? We just lay there waiting to die. Now cancer isn’t so scary anymore, and most diseases can be treated to some extent. Maybe in four years there will be new technology? Maybe my dad will survive that period and recover without treatment? Money is earned, and money comes to people. We can’t just watch my dad die for a little money. If we were farmers and had no other options, I would accept it. But to have the ability and not use it is utterly heartless!”
“Yaping, it’s not that I don’t want your father to get treatment. But before treatment, you can’t just agree to let the doctor spend money without asking any questions, and we’ll take care of it. That way, there’s no budget. We’re just working class after all; how much money can we afford to invest like that? Don’t you think about what if we run out of money after investing half of it? Everyone has to die eventually. I think it would be better to use the money for conservative treatment so that your father can live a good life and be as content as possible. Maybe, as the doctor says, if he’s in a good mood, all his illnesses will really disappear?”
"Hu Lijuan! Get out of my way! My dad's affairs are none of your business. It all boils down to money. You're an extremely selfish person! My mother was absolutely right about you! Is human life more important than money? Do you have any humanity in your eyes besides money? You're just like your low-class mother! If your dad gets cancer in the future, you can send him straight to the morgue, I won't object. He's my dad! I'll take care of him with my money! I'll sell my blood and flesh, it's none of your business!"
"Li Yaping! Can you please stop acting on emotion and let me finish what I have to say? You're quick to label people and even curse my father! Your father is a father, but mine isn't? You're the heartless one! What has my father ever done to wrong you or your family? Even if you're rushing to give money, you should at least ask how much it is in total, right? The doctor quoted 30,000 yuan, and you didn't even ask if that 30,000 yuan is for a week's treatment or a year's? How many 30,000 yuan amounts are needed in total? And where is this 30,000 yuan coming from? How much did your parents bring for this treatment? How long is it enough to cover? If they don't have enough money, are they going to borrow from the previous..." "You want to withdraw your investment from other people's stocks? You don't even discuss these basic issues, and immediately escalate it to the level of character. What's the point? I understand your feelings, but shouldn't you have some common sense? You act like a madman the moment something happens. How much money could you get by selling your blood and flesh? Do you think you're a movie star? Since you're unwilling to talk to me, I won't tell you how to raise the money. Originally, I wanted to tell you that the first installment could be drawn from your year-end bonus; you could talk to your company leaders about it. But I don't know about the later installments. You'll have to figure it out yourself!" Lijuan turned and left.
Upon entering, Lijuan, with a long face, went straight into her room without saying a word. Yaping went into his parents' bedroom.
Looking at Lijuan's face, Yaping's mother asked Yaping, "Why is Lijuan angry?"
"It's nothing. It's all because of what the doctor said."
"Did she argue with the doctor again? Sigh! That Lijuan, she's so inconsiderate! She's angered the doctor, what if she doesn't treat your dad properly? Is she unhappy that we came? If she doesn't let us come, we'll just go back! We'll just wait to die!"
"She wouldn't dare to object! Does she even have the right to speak for this family? Don't worry, you can stay here in peace, she doesn't mean it that way."
“She didn’t mean it that way, but she always gives me that cold shoulder, and it hurts me too! On one hand, there’s your father’s illness, and on the other hand, there’s my wife’s attitude. It’s heartbreaking! Even filial sons can grow weary of caring for a chronically ill parent, let alone a wife!”
"Mom, don't overthink it. You're a great hero just for taking good care of Dad."
Following Lijuan's suggestion, Yaping went to the company and withdrew 30,000 yuan.
After one course of treatment, 30,000 yuan was gone in no time. Following the doctor's orders, Yaping used the few thousand yuan he had saved to buy high-protein powder, nutritional supplements, red ginseng, and soft-shelled turtle.
"Oh dear! This must be so expensive! How much money do we have to support this kind of eating? When will it ever end?" Yaping's mother asked Yaping behind his back. "Let's finish reading this first. The key is the first three steps. Once you've done that, you won't need to do this again."
Yaping took the 30,000 yuan bill from the hospital home, thought about it, and decided that it was inappropriate to put it here or there, so he stuffed it into a shoebox.
“Mom, this won’t do. You can’t stay by my side day and night. You’ll collapse before Dad does. I think we should take turns from now on. I’ll take the night shift, and you can take the morning shift. You can get some rest when you come home at night.” Yaping rushed to the hospital after work.
“That won’t do. My son has to work during the day too. Your job is important. The whole family is counting on your salary to pay for your father’s medical treatment! Sigh! Your father has dedicated his whole life to his work and sacrificed his life. Now that he’s old and sick, there’s nowhere to turn for help. Last time he went to Mudanjiang for medical treatment and spent several hundred yuan, but his company is dragging its feet on reimbursing him.”
"What's wrong?"
"My employer is gone, who am I supposed to turn to? I'm still on early retirement, not officially registered with the Civil Affairs Bureau yet, so I'm not part of the pension insurance. The employer said they'd reimburse 70%, but they can only pay me back if they have the money! They can even delay my early retirement salary, so forget about getting medical treatment."
"Sigh! Never mind, Mom. People are the most important thing. If they're alive, everything else will be fine. Don't worry about money."
"My poor son. I have three thousand yuan with me, you can take it and use it first!"
"No need. I don't need it. I earn ten thousand a month!"
“My son is undoubtedly filial, but I’m worried about Lijuan…” As she was speaking, Lijuan stepped into the ward. Startled, Yaping’s mother quickly swallowed her words.
"Lijuan, I was just telling Mom that I'll be working night shifts from now on, so she can't keep working non-stop. Why don't you go home with Mom tonight?"
"Nonsense! Your job is important. If you don't perform well and get fired, we're doomed. Don't worry about it, I can manage on my own." Yaping's mother firmly stopped her.